SHM’s business model has been based in its own R&D since the very beginning. Our almost 30 year history is a testimony of our efforts.

SHM remains a global leader in preparation of super hard and nanocomposite coatings. Our team of experts presented at conferences in Czech Republic and abroad, and published articles in renowned international scientific journals – such as Thin Solid Films, Surface & Coating Technology and Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing. More than 30 articles and 20 popular-science articles have been published in the magazine MM Prumyslove Spektrum. We have been awarded nine Czech and international patents and our researchers have participated in patent development of our partner company.

Our R&D department has industrial and laboratory technological equipment in their disposal as well as a state of the art laboratory which reflects the demands of evaluating thin coatings and substrate materials, including geometry and characteristics of various surfaces.

We collaborate with research departments within Czech and international universities. One cannot aslo imagine our R&D department without taking into account our customers’ feedback, transfer of the results to production and training of our sales representatives. And thus this fourth segment is inseparable from the rest, creating a unity which gives SHM its creative strength and leads it to further success.

PVD technologies used by SHM are based in two essential methods of coating: low voltage arc evaporation and magnetron sputtering. Both methods utilize the patented configuration and principle of rotating cathodes. These processes occur in high vacuum and in temperatures below 500°C. Their additional common characteristics include the interaction of the emitted material with specific gas, which results in coating on the surface of a substrate. The main difference between the two methods is the process of separation of material from the cathode targets.

Our depositing system is based in an original configuration of the coating chamber with four rotating cathodes. This configuration allows for any combination of up to four different materials. As such, we are able to produce simple coatings of the TiN type, as well as complex nanocomposites of the nc-(TiAl)N/a-Si₃N₄ variety. We also utilize our original configuration of cathodes in the patented process of concurrent low voltage arc and a magnetron. Our newest addition to our portfolio of technologies is a pulsing arc which eliminates some of the disadvantages of a classic arc.

Arc evaporation occurs in low voltage and high current on the cathode. A cathode spot is created on the surface of the target, with local temperatures reaching 15 000°C which allows a complete evaporation of material. The cathode spot travels at a rate of tens of m/s and its trajectory is directed by the magnetic field of the cathode. One of the greatest advantages of low voltage arc is the high ionization of particles, which allows for a high quality coating. One of the disadvantages is the presence of macro particles that worsen coating roughness.

Method of magnetron sputtering is based in the interaction between an inert gas (argon in our case) and the cathode surface under a negative voltage of several hundred volts. The higher bias voltage of the cathode attracts ions of argon and gives them a sufficient energy to force out particles from the target’s material. These particles travel with high energy towards the substrate. In contrast with the arc method, presence of ionized particles is in single digit percentages, but there are no macro particles present.